Books
Recommended Reading Here are some books I have enjoyed on a variety of topics. I will only recommend books that I have read (and think are useful). I’ll rotate this list periodically.
Pop Psychology
Happier - This book is written by Harvard University professor, Tal Ben-Shahar. I think a lot of it is common sense… which of course isn’t so common. It gives some good tips on how to be focused on what is truly important in our lives. It’s one of those books that I will probably pick up again and again as a reminder that I need to focus on being happy now, not some time in the future.
Succeed on Your Own Terms - Not a formula-for-success book. Instead the authors, Herb Greenberg and Patrick Sweeney, have interviewed a number of successful people and share their stories with you. The stories are extremely inspirational. Anytime I think something is hard or I worry that someone else may look down on what I am doing, I can recall one of these stories and feel better.
Investments
The (Mis) Behavior of Markets: A Fractal View of Risk, Ruin And Reward - Note, this book will not tell you how to beat the market. But if you think fractals are cool and you like thinking about market risk in an abstract way, you should read this book by Benoit B. Mandelbrot. I personally think fractals are the key to unlocking market behavior (and some human behavior), but the right mathematician hasn’t come along yet.
Biography
Alexander Hamilton - Do you have lots of time? I normally can plow through any book in a matter of days, but it has taken me significantly longer to get through Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton - all 832 pages of it. I do feel, however, that it has been worth it. Mr. Hamilton may never have been President, but more than any other founding father, he was certainly the architect of our country. If you love history, but don’t know much about Hamilton, read this book.
DVDs
Startup.com - Okay, not a book, but if you are planning a venture-backed startup, please buy or rent this movie. It’s a documentary and a bit dated (2001), but it really does a good job of showing the highs and lows of being part of a fast growing, venture backed company. It gives some reality to the question of “what are you going to do if this doesn’t work?”
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